07/18/2026
Some of you already know, but I haven't said it publicly until now.
On June 5, my mother passed away.
For months I've struggled with how—or even whether—to share that news. I spend my life helping other families through loss, yet when it became my own, the words were much harder to find.
My mother was my greatest supporter.
When I was 22 years old, I signed my name to an $84,000 bank loan to open my first flower shop. Like everyone else, she asked, "Are you crazy?" But then she smiled and said something I'll never forget:
"I'm so proud of you."
Forty years later, after I had moved to St. Charles where nobody knew my name and started all over again, one of the last things she ever told me was that she had never seen anyone build a life and a following from nothing the way I had.
At 63 years old, hearing that from your mother still means everything.
I have spent my career helping families celebrate lives, comfort one another, and say goodbye. I've seen people who lived more than a century, and others whose lives ended far too soon. Through all of it, I always knew that if I picked up the phone, Mom would be there.
She and my father shared nearly 70 years of marriage. Fifteen months after losing him, she went home to be with him. Somehow that brings me peace.
People often compliment our flower shop, but rarely is it about the flowers themselves. They remember how they were treated.
They remember that someone listened.
That someone cared.
That someone was kind.
If you've ever wondered where that comes from, it came from my mother.
She taught me that every person deserves dignity, patience, compassion, and another chance tomorrow.
She loved hearing the stories I'd tell her about our customers—the bride who cried happy tears, the husband whose anniversary bouquet was a surprise, the recipient who called to say, "I've been on this earth for over 80 years, and these are the prettiest flowers I've ever received."
Those stories made her smile.
And speaking of smiles...
The second photo is Shannon with my mom.
Many of you know Shannon only as the warm, caring voice on the other end of the phone. Some of you have never met her, so now you can finally put a face to the name.
To me, Shannon isn't just part of this business—she's family. The love and respect between her and my mom was something truly special. My mother adored her, just as she adored our dogs, especially Muggie, who appointed himself her nighttime protector whenever we visited.
If you've ever felt cared for by our little flower shop, you've experienced a piece of my mother without even realizing it.
Her kindness lives on here.
It lives in the way we answer the phone.
It lives in the way we deliver flowers.
It lives in the way we try to treat every customer like a neighbor and every family like our own.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out with your prayers, your cards, your hugs, and your understanding these past weeks.
Mom, thank you for believing in me from the very beginning.
I hope we've made you proud.
❤️
